Many of you have heard about our intention to expand our collaboration with Dignity Health. Although a proposal has not yet been finalized, our efforts are being publicly discussed.

We want to be clear as to why we are exploring this collaboration with Dignity and how, together, we can expand patient access to quality health care – care for women, care for the LGBTQ community, and care for all patients. We want to underscore that UCSF’s PRIDE Values will be central to this affiliation and are central to all that we do.

What we are exploring is a broader affiliation between UCSF Health and Dignity Health. The aim is to expand our services at four Dignity hospitals – St. Mary’s Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. This would be an expansion of our current relationship with Dignity, a relationship...

We have received a strike notice from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union for its Service and Patient Care Technical Units (SX and EX) and from the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union for its Health Care Professionals, Research Support Professionals, and Technical Units (HX, RX, and TX).

The labor action will begin Thursday, May 16, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. and end at 11:59 p.m. You can find updates on the In the Know website throughout the strike.

As we have stated in advance of previous strikes, we respect our employees’ rights to representation and freedom of speech. That said, striking is a serious matter, especially when it directly affects vital public services such as patient care.

Labor actions make a significant impact on the lives of our patients and their families. During last month’s strike, hundreds of appointments, including cancer infusion treatments, and selected surgeries were rescheduled. In addition, strikes create very real tensions among colleagues.

Once again, we expect disruptions to services across UCSF, including UCSF Health and the UCSF Dental Center, as well as those performed by UCSF employees at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

As always, our top priorities are the safety and security of the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, learners, patients, and visitors. To support our work and minimize the impact of the strike, we have refined contingency plans based on our recent experience. The UC Office of the President is responsible for conducting negotiations with the unions...

On April 30, you will receive an invitation to participate in the 2019 UCSF Staff Engagement Survey. Your response will help us understand the progress we have made over the past year toward our shared goal of making UCSF a great place to work.

We have contracted with Gallup to conduct this survey, the seventh of its kind at UCSF since 2011. After each survey, managers and their teams use their results to create action plans that build on strengths and address challenges. At the UCSFwide level, we look for trends and patterns in engagement and satisfaction that help us understand how staff feel about their work so that we can identify opportunities for improvement across our institution.

As we reported last year, the 2018 staff survey showed us that overall engagement is holding steady across UCSF. However, we also found notable differences between UCSF staff in manager vs. non-manager roles, in team size, across racial/ethnic groups, and between staff who are represented by a union and policy-covered staff.

Since then, we have taken several steps to address these findings:

All UCSF staff employees were encouraged to attend one of two UCSF Engagement Town Halls to review findings, hear about successful activities underway that support engagement, and gather input for our institution-wide action plan;

Yesterday, we were challenged with the third labor action in six months. The disruptions caused by these strikes are significant and affect the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, trainees, students, visitors, and especially our patients.

Together, the striking units represented approximately 7400 employees across UCSF, including UCSF Health hospitals and campus, as well as employees at UCSF’s partner Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG).

Once more, UCSF Health rescheduled hundreds of patient appointments, including selected surgeries. For those patients who remained in our hospitals or received outpatient services, it continues to be disconcerting that they are forced to reschedule appointments or maneuver through picket lines in order to receive the excellent care that our clinicians and staff provide.

As before, we extend our gratitude to each of you who came to work and to every person who planned and helped UCSF through this trying time. We are appreciative of the volunteers and replacement workers who enabled UCSF to continue providing services and the professionalism of those who chose to participate in the labor action.

No matter your individual opinion about strikes, everyone in the UCSF family is bonded by our UCSF PRIDE Values: professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence and our shared mission of advancing health worldwide.

The work involved in ensuring the safety and security of the entire UCSF community, especially over repeated labor actions, can create very real tensions among colleagues. As we come together today and beyond in fulfillment of UCSF's...

We have received a strike notice from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union for its Service and Patient Care Technical Units (SX and EX).

The University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union announced that its three units will strike in sympathy; this includes the Health Care Professionals, Research Support Professionals, and Technical Units (HX, RX, and TX).

The labor action will begin Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 12:00 a.m. and end at 11:59 p.m. You can find updates on the In the Know website throughout the strike.

As we have stated in advance of previous strikes, we respect our employees’ rights to representation and freedom of speech. That said, striking is a serious matter, especially when it directly affects vital public services such as patient care.

Labor actions make a significant impact on the lives of our patients and their families. During last month’s strike, more than 800 appointments, including cancer infusion treatments, were rescheduled. Selected surgeries also were rescheduled. In addition, strikes create very real tensions among colleagues.

Once again, we expect disruptions to services across UCSF, including UCSF Health and the UCSF Dental Center, as well as those performed by UCSF employees at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

As always, our top priorities are the safety and security of the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, learners, patients, and visitors. To support our work and minimize the impact of the strike, we have refined contingency plans based on our recent experience. The UC Office of the President is...

We have received a strike notice from the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union for its Research Support Professionals and Technical Units (RX and TX).

These unions also have announced that they will strike in sympathy:

University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union for its Health Care Professionals Unit (HX)

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union for its Service and Patient Care Technical Units (SX and EX)

The labor action will begin Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 4:00 a.m. and end on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 3:59 a.m. You can find strike updates on UCSF.edu throughout the strike.

As we have stated in advance of previous strikes, we respect our employees’ rights to representation and freedom of speech. That said, striking is a serious matter, especially when it directly affects vital public services such as patient care.

Labor actions make a significant impact on the lives of our patients and their families. During the two strikes in 2018, thousands of patient appointments were cancelled, delayed, or rescheduled. Some of our patients had to see other providers for their care. In addition, strikes create very real tensions among colleagues.

Once again, we expect disruptions to services across UCSF, particularly at UCSF Health and the UCSF Dental Center, as well as those performed by UCSF employees at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

As always, our top priorities are the safety and security of the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, learners,...

As you know, since December 22, 2018, the federal government has been on partial shutdown. We know that many of you may be affected in some way or know individuals who are experiencing a direct impact, and it is our hope that our elected officials will soon come to a resolution so that the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are on furlough will receive their salaries.

At this time, we are aware of limited to minimal disruption across UCSF.

Prior to the shutdown, Congress passed – and the President signed into law – two appropriations bills that funded 75 percent of the federal government, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Department, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, through September 30, 2019. ...

After almost two weeks of extremely poor air quality as a result of the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County, the rain forecasted to improve air quality throughout the Bay Area has arrived.

Sadly, given climate change, the likelihood is very high that California will continue to face wildfires of similar magnitude. My leadership team will use this opportunity to review our response, with the goal of improving how we manage events like this in the future.

Firefighters, first responders, and volunteers involved in the wildfires in Northern and Southern California have exhibited immense heroism, strength, and compassion. I know that you join me in deep gratitude for their unselfish sacrifice and hope that they soon get the relief they need.

Our hearts go out to those whose loved ones have died or are among the missing, as well as to the tens of thousands displaced from their homes. Long after the last ember is extinguished, their needs will continue to be great. It will take months, if not years, to transform neighborhoods from the blackened and smoldering landscape to communities where residents can recover and rebuild.

I appreciate that many of you who are able will volunteer your time and expertise to assist the scores of people who need help. Donations to agencies such as the American Red Cross or the ...

As you know, much of our state has been severely affected by the historic wildfires that continue to rage in several areas. The toll on families and friends who lost loved ones, their homes, and businesses is heartbreaking.

It is clearly evident that our region has been impacted by unprecedented poor air quality for the past week. We know that concerns about air quality have led many university and school officials in our region to decide to cancel classes and close their doors tomorrow as a means of minimizing student exposures to outdoor air.

After consultation with my leadership team and close review of regional outdoor air data, UCSF will remain open tomorrow. As a health sciences and graduate-level university, this institution is dedicated to a mission of serving our patients and advancing health through discovery and education. This mission is perhaps most important during times of regional health crises.

We know based on scientific evidence and guidance from government health agencies that the best place to be when pollutants fill the air is inside buildings with filtered air systems. The agencies’ advice is to limit outdoor exposure.

Since the fires began in Butte County last Thursday, we have carefully monitored the air quality in the Bay Area and at our campus locations. We continue to make our supply of N95 respirators available upon request to our most vulnerable patients and our employees who must work outdoors. We have also taken extra steps to ensure the air filtration systems in our buildings are working as effectively as possible.

For those of you who may find it difficult to come to work due to school...

We write today to thank you for your hard work throughout the year and to invite you to attend a staff appreciation holiday breakfast on one of the dates listed below*. These events provide us and other university leaders an opportunity to thank you in person for your contributions.